# Help me make Chile Verde, please. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559 "2012-11-01T13:44:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/1 "2012-11-01T13:44:16Z")
There’s a Mexican place over in Aptos (that’s near Santa Cruz, CA) that I’ve stopped in a few times lately, and it makes some killer Chile Verde. Now that it’s getting cool outside, seems like a good time to attempt making some at home. What do you guys think of [this recipe?](http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/) I like to keep things simple, and I don’t have a food processor, so I’m not going to puree anything. I figure if I chop it up, it’ll pretty much cook down to a good consistency after 2 hours. Oh, and I’m wondering if I really need to broil the tomatillos. Not a bid deal, but I’d like to avoid that step if I can. OTOH, if it going to add some nice flavor elements, so be it! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/2 "2012-11-01T13:51:43Z")
Looks pretty good to me. That type of recipe is amazingly forgiving - it’s hard to go wrong even when you slightly tweak it. I’ve made basically the same thing only without tomatillos and adding WAY more roasted chiles and that turns out great but hot as hell (which I like.) I’m thinking the tomatillos will add a nice acidic taste to the whole thing. Now I want Green Chile. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/3 "2012-11-01T14:06:26Z")
Yes, it’s remarkably similar to Green Chile Stew, and I’m sure there are dozens of variations. It does look very forgiving, and that’s another thing I like about it. Plus, having a pot of Chile Verde simmering on the stove for a few hours on a nice, cool autumn evenings sounds really nice! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/4 "2012-11-01T14:09:35Z")
The only thing I question about the recipe is the word “optional” after the Anaheim or Poblano peppers! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/5 "2012-11-01T14:34:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > There’s a Mexican place over in Aptos (that’s near Santa Cruz, CA) that I’ve stopped in a few times lately, and it makes some killer Chile Verde. Now that it’s getting cool outside, seems like a good time to attempt making some at home. > > What do you guys think of [this recipe?](http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/) I like to keep things simple, and I don’t have a food processor, so I’m not going to puree anything. I figure if I chop it up, it’ll pretty much cook down to a good consistency after 2 hours. Oh, and I’m wondering if I really need to broil the tomatillos. Not a bid deal, but I’d like to avoid that step if I can. OTOH, if it going to add some nice flavor elements, so be it! Broiling adds a nice smoky element to the dish, so I would recommend it. There’s a lot of that kind of stuff that goes on in Mexican cooking that adds to depth of flavor: charring garlic, onions, tomatillos, tomatoes, etc., on a dry pan, on a grill, or under a broiler adds a nice extra dimension. Otherwise, that recipe looks fine to me, except for the “optional” peppers part. When I do my verde, I like to use Anaheims or similar in addition to serranos and/or jalapenos. I might throw a poblano in there, too, but poblanos have a very distinct (though delicious and deep) flavor, and I prefer my chile verde with a slightly different flavor profile. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/6 "2012-11-01T16:09:20Z")
I haven’t found a good chile verde since I left New Mexcio and I’ve been craving it. I just made some using this recipe a few weeks ago, and it came out great. The only substitution I made was I used serrano peppers instead of jalapenos, because I wanted a bit more heat. Oh, and I bumped up the cilantro a bit, because I’m a cilantro freak. It was my wife’s first time ever having chile verde, and she loved it. One other tip I’ll give you: I cooked mine all day in a crock pot, and the pork cooked for so long, it fell apart like you’d find in ropa vieja. It wasn’t bad, just not what I was looking for. I wanted the cubed pork I remembered from Albuquerque. When I make another batch (and the wife has been asking me to) I’ll either cook it for a shorter amount of time, or throw the meat in later in the process. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/7 "2012-11-01T16:54:24Z")
> [@Shark\_Sandwich](#): > > I haven’t found a good chile verde since I left New Mexcio and I’ve been craving it. Seems like New Mexican cuisine is quite distinct. Anyway, thanks for the advice, and I agree on the idea that the other peppers shouldn’t be “optional”. I will do the broiler thing on the vegetables, too. Although I just saw the weather for this weekend, and it looks like it’s getting warm again here (NorCal), so the call of the golf course may put this off until next weekend! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/8 "2012-11-01T16:58:21Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Seems like New Mexican cuisine is quite distinct. Yeah, New Mexican green chile is a little bit different. So far as I know, that usually does not have tomatillos, and the main (often only) pepper used is roasted Hatch chiles, which is kind of Anaheim pepper grown around Hatch, New Mexico (and are usually a good bit hotter than Anaheims.) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/9 "2012-11-01T17:12:43Z")
The last time I ever made it, I used _all_ Poblano peppers and no Anaheims. I bought fresh Poblanos and blackened them on the stovetop, peeled and seeded them, and diced them into the chile. What a difference it made: deep, smoky, spicy. Delicious. I’ll never use Anaheims again. I also like to add one or two tomatoes, which aren’t enough to affect the color, but do add their characteristic slight touch of sweetness. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/10 "2012-11-01T17:15:40Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > The last time I ever made it, I used _all_ Poblano peppers and no Anaheims. I bought fresh Poblanos and blackened them on the stovetop, peeled and seeded them, and diced them into the chile. What a difference it made: deep, smoky, spicy. Delicious. I’ll never use Anaheims again. > > I also like to add one or two tomatoes, which aren’t enough to affect the color, but do add their characteristic slight touch of sweetness. I also add tomatoes to NM-style green chile. Usually a can of diced tomatoes. Not so much that it gets overly tomato-y - I just want a hint of the acidity from the tomatoes, not a tomato-based stew. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/11 "2012-11-01T17:23:03Z")
I agree, that’s a good recipe. I’d want a few more jalepenos but I like a little kick. I’ll also agree that you should not skip the broiling, it really adds complexity that you’ll miss if you skip it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/12 "2012-11-01T17:23:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, New Mexican green chile is a little bit different. So far as I know, that usually does not have tomatillos, and the main (often only) pepper used is roasted Hatch chiles, which is kind of Anaheim pepper grown around Hatch, New Mexico (and are usually a good bit hotter than Anaheims.) Yes, and I think that is (rightly) called Green Chile Stew rather than Chile Verde. But we could argue about that _todo el dia._ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/13 "2012-11-03T20:06:04Z")
OK, tonight’s the night. One more question, folks: There isn’t much spice added-- should there be some more spices in this recipe? I think I’ve seen some where you ad cumin (how much?) or maybe some bay leaves or something. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/14 "2012-11-03T20:22:46Z")
Nah. A good chili verde lets you taste the tomatillos and the garlic and the pork. Add too much other stuff and the purity gets muddled. It would also mute the flavors of the peppers, and you don’t want that either. Make it straight, then modify to taste next time. If you screw it up the first time, you’ll have to go back to the beginning to find out what you did wrong. Baby steps, Grasshopper. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/15 "2012-11-03T22:26:16Z")
I made this today as well, followed the recipe to a ‘T’ (used poblanos). Holy freaking delicious. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/16 "2012-11-03T22:56:09Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What do you guys think of [this recipe?](http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/) Why is pork shoulder also called pork butt? There’s a drive through Taco place nearby whose specialty is chili verde. Decisions… ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/17 "2012-11-03T23:02:44Z")
That’s a lot of pork in there, not what I’m used to in Colorado. Around here, pork is in the dish, but in small amounts. There’s also a hell of a lot more chilies in it, the New Mexican Hatch one mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/18 "2012-11-03T23:03:31Z")
It’s a hold-over from colonial days. Lower on the pig cuts (ie not hams or loin) were packed for shipment in casks called “butts”(about 126 US gallons). The way the shoulder was cut in Boston to be shipped was known as “Boston Butt.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/19 "2012-11-03T23:06:56Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Why is pork shoulder also called pork butt? You’re using the butt-end of the shoulder, rather than the skinny end. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-make-chile-verde-please/639559/20 "2012-11-03T23:46:57Z")
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